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Jerry West Roots for the Heat, but Not Too Hard

Jerry West watched the Miami Heat’s incredible comeback Wednesday night, watched them obliterate a 27-point deficit, watched them take another step toward history — West’s history — and marveled at the sight.

That thrilling, 98-95 victory in Cleveland was the Heat’s 24th in a row, leaving them 9 shy of the record set by the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers — West’s Lakers. One of the N.B.A.’s most hallowed marks could potentially fall in three weeks.

“I think it’s great for the league,” West said Thursday. “If they would break it, my gosh, I think it would be a wonderful story. I have no problem with that.”

Few records are deemed untouchable, but the Lakers’ 33-game streak is engraved on that list, next to Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak and the 1972 Miami Dolphins’ perfect season (17-0).

The Heat, fueled by the dominance of LeBron James, are the first team to truly threaten the Lakers’ record. Only three other teams have even reached 20 straight wins, including the Houston Rockets, who had a 22-game streak in 2007-8.

West, now an executive with the Golden State Warriors, spoke graciously and admiringly of the Heat’s accomplishments during a conference call with reporters. He praised James’s leadership, Dwyane Wade’s defense and the masterly roster building of the team president, Pat Riley, West’s former teammate on that record-setting Lakers team.

Far from feeling threatened, West seemed intrigued by the Heat’s drive toward the record.

“I think it could very easily be broken this year,” he said. “I really do believe that.”

Photo

Jerry West played on the 1971-72 Lakers, who won 33 straight games. The Heat are nine games shy of that N.B.A. record as of Thursday.Credit
Associated Press

Miami’s last defeat was on Feb. 1, a 102-89 loss in Indiana. The Heat have had a number of close calls along the way, including Wednesday night in Cleveland. James led the comeback, scoring 14 points in the fourth quarter, including the two clinching free throws with four seconds left.

West, a veteran of magical moments, said he never had a doubt.

“My wife said, ‘Oh, they’re going to lose, they’re going to lose,’ ” he said. “I said, ‘No, they’re going to win by 10.’ When you’re playing at that level, you do have a different gear.”

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The Lakers’ streak stretched from Nov. 5, 1971 to Jan. 7, 1972. Only 10 games were decided by single digits. The rest were blowouts — a point of pride to West.

“They played some close games this year,” West said of the Heat, “but our games really weren’t close.”

The only other distinction West drew was in the quality of opposition. The N.B.A. in 1971-72 was a 17-team league, with the elite talent more tightly concentrated. The Lakers’ streak was ended by a Milwaukee Bucks team featuring two Hall of Famers, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson.

Today, West said, “I see some very poor teams out there” and few that can challenge the Heat.

“Expansion has diluted the talent,” West said. “It hasn’t made talent better. So it’s harder to get a lot of good players on one team today.

Three of the N.B.A.’s worst teams — Detroit, Charlotte and Orlando — are next up on the Heat’s schedule. Their stiffest challenge should come on March 31, when they visit the San Antonio Spurs, perhaps with win No. 30 on the line.

Some commentators believe fatigue is a greater threat to the Heat than any opponent on the schedule. So when and how will the streak end? And who will end it?

“It may not end,” West said. “It may not end. That’s why I think it’s so remarkable.”